Tales of a Culture Hedonist

A hot-blooded Tosca at the Royal Opera

I went to tonight's performance of Tosca at the Royal Opera with trepidation. First we were told (a few weeks ago) Deborah Voigt pulled out due to illness and Angela Gheorghiu replaced her. Then Marcello Giordani got ill and was replaced by Massimo Giordano a few days ago. So, will Bryn Terfel put in an appearance tonight?   Thank goodness there were no more cast changes. The orchestra played the opening chords with unusual umph. Massimo Giordano was a gallant Cavaradossi. Bryn Terfel was his usual fantastic self where a lot of care went into his portrayal of Scarpia - less on the voice and more on the drama. The real transformation was Angela Gheorghiu. When I saw her in the premiere of this production (design Paul Brown, director Jonathan Kent) a few years ago I thought her Tosca as an attention seeking school-girl which looked ridiculous across from the very deep and grown up Scarpia (Bryn Terfel). In tonight's performance she was full of fire with a greater breadth of emotions and tone, where a few of her top notes rang throughout the auditorium. My guess is the revival director Stephen Barlow made the school girl grow up. So tonight's Tosca turned out to be exceptional.

Rusalka coming to life at Glyndebourne

Operatic fairytales are not easy to stage - they will have to retain that magical quality while meeting the expectations of the grownup audience. The opening act of Rusalka at Glynedebourne met both of those - the lighting had that ethereal quality, the nymphs frolicked, and the first big aria of Rusalka (sung by the fantastic Ana María Martínez) was sensational. Her voice had a pure yet urgent quality - perfectly suited to the role, which was well matched by Brandon Jovanovich who sang the Prince. Mischa Schelomianski as Vodnik was in an inflated body suit that was both comical and scary!

Rae Smith's design for this production took on a dark turquise / blue tone for the opening act, the castle scene in the second act was decorated by singers in stylised yet glamorous 30's costumes. Rick Nodine, who directed the movements, brought about the suspended nymphs, rolling Vadnik and free-spirited doe.
Needless to say, the LPO played Dvorák's rich score wonderfully to the direction of Jirí Belohlávek.

A very imaginative L'Amour de loin at the English National Opera

It was my first time encountering the music of Kaija Saariaho last night at the English National Opera's new production of L'Amour de loin. I went with a very open mind - this being a contemporary opera. I was pleasantly surprised by the production. The cast was strong - Roderick Williams as Jaufré Rudel,  Joan Rodgers as Clémence and Faith Sherman as the Pilgrim - delivered seemingly impossible vocal lines. The music was a sound world that was rich in texture, though some of the emotions escaped my attentive ears. With xylophones and glockenspiel galore in the pit, Edward Gardner kept a tight reign at the helm of a much enlarged orchestra.

Credit must go to Daniele Finzi Pasca for the circus / acrobatic "theatrical landscape" that made the whole production stunning. The lighting, the mime theatre, the dancers and acrobats all added a lot of magic and colours to a work that only had three soloists. The final scene with Jaufré and his alter egos suspended in mid air whilst the chorus held up mirros to reflect narrow light beams across the auditorium was a fitting end to a dreamy and imaginative evening.

A fine Un Ballo in Maschera at the Royal Opera

It seems the mundane but essential announcement of "Please switch your mobile phones off" has been replaced by the "Tonight's XXX role will be sung by YYY" kind with alarming frequency at the Royal Opera lately (Deborah Voight to be replaced by Angela Gheorghiu in Tosca). Sometimes we are in for a surprise: other times a nasty one. Robert Aronica who replaced Ramón Vargas as Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera was not half bad.

This is a full-blooded opera with lots of powerful duets. Roberto Aronica's strength was well matched by Angela Marambio (as Amelia): though a bit more tenderness would not go amiss. Dalibor Jenis also gave a find performance of Renato. The chorus sang magnificently throughout.  Those who have not seen this production (designed by Sergio Tramonti) were awed by the ball scene in the last act (well, they clapped!) This was a fine Verdi night out.

Renée Fleming was fabulous in La Traviata at the Royal Opera

When I first saw this production of La Traviata, it was Angela Gheorghiu as Violetta and Sir Georg Solti in the pit. There had been a few more notable performances since, but none so more than the current run with Renée Fleming as Violetta. Last night she was absolutely sensational - the amazing thing was that she was able to portray such a complex character - from the frivolous and introspective in Act I, to vulnerable and stoic in Act II, through to the hopeless dying Violetta in Act III. That it was all very believable on stage.

Joseph Calleja and Thomas Hampson as Alfredo and Giorgio recpectively added fizz to the drama. Pappano was milking every moment of this Verdi score - without wallowing or sentimentality. This La Traviata will stick in my mind for years to come.